I’ve begun shedding the label of “Director of Sales Prevention” (somewhat) in the process of selling memberships into my Titans Xcelerator virtual (and very affordable) mastermind this month…and while I have signed up many new members (you know who you are and congratulations!), I’ve also gotten some old (and new) objections for not joining.
I am not thin skinned…in fact I love it when people tell me why they are not joining…just like I love reading the one-star reviews of my book on Amazon much more than the positive reviews.
I am happy there aren’t too many one-stars (making the perspiration expended in writing Overdeliver more rewarding) …but I love embracing any bad news as an opportunity for improvement and learning.
I wrote a post titled, “Haters gonna hate…so love them” in 2020 and laid out what I learned (gracefully I hope) from all the one-star reviews.
Today’s “study of objections” …like poor reviews, are always valid in the mind of the prospect or buyer…pertain to the non-joiners of Titans Xcelerator.
You might have heard similar arguments…often rants…as a leader of a mastermind…or ranted yourself as a potential member.
I’m not including responses like, “I’m sick of hearing from you…take me off your list,” “I hate masterminds because they are all a waste of money,” and “what do YOU know that I don’t?”
And my personal favorite:
“Fu*k you. Go away!”
I am talking about thoughtful objections…without anger, malice, or intentional arrogance.
Even when we know the objections in advance, they seem so “final” that at some point we simply say, “Yes, this mastermind (or coaching group, online course, Bootcamp etc.) is definitely not for you.”
This is where being a “Director of Sales Prevention” comes in handy 🙂
Why force someone to do something they really don’t want to do no matter how off base the reasons for not joining can be?
All objections are not created equal…but as I said earlier, perception is reality to each of us when deciding anything…and talking someone into what’s good for them and their career, when they can’t see it, is the best reason to let go of them.
Here are some of my favorite objections from fans and non-fans for not joining (or renewing) Titans Xcelerator, how I deal with each, including when it’s time to give up and move on (and I invite you to send me your favorites):
Too much information (content)
I get this one a lot because I am an information junkie…which for me, leads to inspiration…but not everyone feels that way or deals with a fire hose of awesome content the same way.
I have learned to compartmentalize new ideas and new forms of marketing…and resist the urge to think everything I hear must be done immediately.
This was not an easy process, being an ADHD entrepreneur who thinks every new idea might have some merit…and it took some training…and not just because I had to resist the urge of “missing out” on the next big thing.
I learned the difference between “Now” and “Not Now,” I learned that I didn’t need to be first (but I didn’t want to be last) …and I learned how to build a parking lot in my brain.
I wrote about this phenomenon in “Another year of too many ideas” if you want to go deeper.
When I talk about this one, I also think about the guy who was up for renewal in one of my masterminds who didn’t renew because he was working on two specific projects and didn’t have the bandwidth to stay in the group until he completed those.
However, when I reminded him that the two essential projects were the result of two specific things he learned inside the mastermind, he was staring into the distance, dazed and confused (another way of saying clueless to what I was saying).
He didn’t realize the value of accumulating new ideas from the group (without making them an immediate priority) while lasering in on the tasks at hand (which were from ideas previously accumulated from the group).
He no longer saw the value of the group despite the group creating the core of his present business.
So much for me (or the mastermind) getting any credit.
That dazed look when I explained this to him told me he wasn’t right for my mastermind anymore.
I realized what many of you have realized:
Repelling those who don’t share your vision or mission for what you have created is as valuable as signing up new members who do.
Never compromise on what you are trying to accomplish because of a select few who are just not a good fit.
Not interested in sharing ideas with anyone who isn’t paying for it
This should be a non-starter for anyone you are prospecting for your mastermind or coaching group.
This tells me that they are content with all they know already (a fatal flaw in my book) and they don’t understand the premise I have followed for 40 years: Competition is coexistence.
Watch this 8-minute video to find out what I’m talking about.
It also tells me that there might be some arrogance involved and there’s no room for arrogance inside a synergistic community.
Actually, there is no room for arrogance anywhere.
How I deal with this objection is to ask a few questions…knowing that someone who is only looking to get paid for all their super valuable ideas is already not a good fit in my world.
But why not have them look inward and see how their life can be enhanced by sharing freely?
It’s usually fruitless, especially if the sentiment comes from arrogance alone, but here are some of the questions I ask just for grins:
- What if you shared your best ideas for free to appropriate people at your level (because you must have a ton of ideas stored up and you can always come up with “more best ideas” which you can get paid for later)?
- Do you see the possibility of getting some of the other person’s best ideas that you haven’t heard before by being free flowing with your best ideas?
- There must be stuff you don’t know? Or at least can you admit that there is stuff you don’t know that you don’t know? [Count me in as someone in this camp.]
- And when you say you only want to share your ideas with people who will pay for them, is that only about getting paid in cash? Are there other ways you can get “paid?”
I don’t like sitting on hot seats
This would be a telltale sign that someone is not suited to being part of your mastermind, assuming you solve your member’s issues (problems and opportunities) through open discussions, even if not through formal hot seats.
I often ask when this comes up, “But are you willing to contribute to someone else’s hot seat or request for help?”
That could be an opening for a sales pitch if they say, “yes.”
Connection through contribution is always in style…and being a contributor puts you at the top of the heap in my groups.
But often those who don’t like sitting on hot seats don’t want to contribute much either.
This discussion usually results in, “Sorry you aren’t a fit.”
Participating in a community is not my thing
Fair enough.
But as a mastermind junkie, it’s hard for me to understand this particular objection.
Why wouldn’t you want to be with other humans in like-minded communities?
Where do you go to find feedback loops?
How can you survive without objective, tough love…leading to accountability?
If you are insulated and surrounded by people inside your company who only tell you what you want to hear (assuming you are an entrepreneur or CEO/business owner/leader of your company), do you ever hear the truth?
This approach rarely gets someone to get off their aversion to “communities” which is just as well.
It’s good to know this before they join my mastermind (or any mastermind) …and we can move on.
I would love to hear more about your experiences with onboarding into any groups you are involved with…as a leader or a participant.
I will share them in a future post.
Remember, onboarding is not housekeeping.
And please share additional objections you have heard (or objections you have authored yourself) when selling (or being sold) a mastermind-like program.
I’m accumulating a master list so someday I’ll have them all. 🙂
I love exploring this topic because it shows how everyone’s experience with joining communities is different.
Some of it is based on experience.
Some of it is based on perception.
Some of it is based on hubris.
And some of it is based on not liking other people all that much.
To each his own.
Warmly,
Brian
P.S. On our Titans Xcelerator call this past week with Joe Polish, the guy who originally (and lovingly) dubbed me the “Director of Sales Prevention,” we talked about his new book, What’s In It For Them?
I highly recommend it. Click on the title to buy it right now.
I make nothing for the sale but I will expect a thank you once you buy it and read it. 🙂
And isn’t the title of his book the question we should always be asking as we wade through our day-to-day life, searching what we can do for others—without an expectation of a return—and in essence, getting much more of a return on the investment of contribution?
It’s a great prescription for a joyous life.
And it’s how Titans Xcelerator works too.
So…what’s in it for you if you join Titans Xcelerator?
A lot.
Except if you have one or more of the objections expressed in the post above. 🙂
But if…
- A fire hose of information and content (from the best marketers anywhere in the world) is not an overwhelming prospect for you (i.e., you’ve got a parking lot for the “Not Now” ideas) and…
- …you want to come for exceptional information and stay for more exceptional inspiration and…
- …you believe that competition is coexistence and you can share your wisdom freely and…
- …you are aware that you don’t know what you don’t know and…
- …you realize when you’re the smartest person in the room that you’re in the wrong room and…
- …you want accountability and tough love from a community of heart centered marketers, copywriters, and entrepreneurs…
…then you owe it to yourself to check out Titans Xcelerator here.
In addition to all the benefits of joining on that page (and all the fantastic bonuses from this current launch), I will add an additional bonus…a link to the call from last week with Joe Polish.
Joe was with us for over two and a half hours dishing out one gem after another on what it means to always think about what’s in it for them.
And some marketing wisdom of course.
He’s wicked smart. And he understands the symbiotic relationship between personal development and marketing.
What’s In It For Them? is How to Win Friends and Influence People for the 21st Century…and it also epitomizes what I try to do inside Titans Xcelerator for my “thems” …which could be you.